Rejigged India stun Singapore to reach their first-ever semis

India, as Group Y toppers, take on Group X leaders Korea in the semi-final. Tied at three points with Hong Kong and Singapore in the morning, India relegated Hong Kong to second with their 15-5 win-loss match record against Hong Kong’s 14-6.

Against fourth seeds Singapore, the diminutive Mumbai girl Prajakta Sawant entered the court with Gurusaidutt for the opening mixed doubles instead of Saina Nehwal, and showed uncharacteristically steady hands and spirit for a debutant, to put India 1-0 ahead.

Aditya Prakash, picked ahead of Gurusaidutt, played the crucial men’s singles rubber and Zong Ken NG wilted under the Indian’s smashing onslaught to take the home team 3-0 up. The No 2 of the pack shocked his opponent with his relentless aggression. Rival plans would’ve come undone as soon as Prakash strolled on-court ahead of the expected Gurusaidutt.

On either side of Aditya’s 21-9, 21-9 victory, Saina Nehwal and the men’s doubles pair of R Sai Praneeth and Pranav Chopra ensured there were no hiccups in India’s progress, winning rubbers two and four.

Nehwal (coming in for PC Thulasi) and Sikki Reddy, though, lost their final women’s doubles tie which means India have now lost three of their four women’s doubles ties.

The hosts had started the day with a 5-0 win over Sri Lanka in their third tie. Playing Singapore then, it was evident that coach Pullela Gopichand would go for broke. Sawant, only 15, had shown glimpses of her solid temperament playing the mixed doubles against Sri Lanka, while Aditya was told he’d be replacing Gurusaidutt as soon as he’d won 21-10, 21-12 against the Sri Lankan No. 1.

While the going will be tough for India from here, who find themselves in badminton’s exalted company of China, Korea and Malaysia, the achievement on Saturday is unprecedented.

“Shuffling the pack was a collective decision, but we were lucky to have that kind of depth after things didn’t go exactly to plan on Friday,” said Gopichand, who was forced to alter his tactics after Nehwal and Gurusaidutt went down in the key mixed doubles tie against Hong Kong, India losing 3-2.

“Prajakta was a revelation dealing with the wavering shuttle and that in her first big tournament at the international level, and we had the confidence that Aditya would go out there and win the singles,” he said.